Origin of the Four
by GingerCat 792
Summary: Ever wanted to know where River, Shadow, Thunder and Wind came from. Were they born in the forest or where they born as kittypets? This story is about their lives before the battle, their loves and how they came to be the great leaders we all know them as. Thunder, Wind, Shadow and River all x OC


**This is a story idea I came up with when I was wondering where the four cats Wind, Shadow, River and Thunder came from. **

**Did they already live in the forest? Were they born there? Or where they born as *gasp* kittypets? And what about the ones they loved What were their stories? So I am writing four small stories on the origins of where each cat and the one that they fell in love with came from. Hope you like them Her's the first chapter. :D**

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**Origins of the four**

**River & Bracken's Story**

**Chapter 1: Sand**

"We have gathered here to decide the punishment for this-" Snake addressed the four cats and the kit that were gathered. "-thing!" Snake spat out the word, rearing his ugly tabby face into Sand's.

Sand would have moved back away from that murderer if she could but another cat, Ripple, had her pinned to the grass, his claws digging viciously into her sandy pelt.

"This abomination," Snake continued and Sand could almost see the gloating look on his face as he looked down at her. "Whom I witnessed murdering two helpless, innocent kits, Silver and Snow-"

A sob echoed behind them and Sand knew instantly it was her sister Lake. How she wished she could go over and comfort her.

"- and then mauling and desecrating their poor bodies while I tried in vain to stop her. But the worst thing is- they were your sister's kits, Sand. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Sand looked up at Snake knowing he was enjoying every moment of this. Her soft green eyes met his leering amber one's that were daring her to speak out, tell everyone the truth. How Sand had burst into her sister's den to see Snake viciously killing her kits in time to save the remaining kit. But Snake had warped the truth when their father, Ripple entered to see Sand next to his dead kits, making himself out to be the hero and now Sand was the one pinned to the floor branded as the cat murderer. She knew there was no way she could speak out against Snake, the other three cats respected him too much and Ripple would back up Snake's story so she'd just be digging a deeper hole for herself. But maybe if she could convince them that it wasn't her, it had been a loner or a cat from another group in their forest home.

Sand moved to sit up and felt Ripple reluctantly let go as she turned to face her sister, Lake.

"Lake," Sand murmured feeling her heart pang as she saw the depth of hatred that emanated from Lake's blue eyes when before there had been only warmth between them. "I didn't do it Lake. I wouldn't. Not to you. To them. I loved those kits just as much as you." She pleaded with her sister to listen so she could have some hope but all she got was a strong feeling of sadness and dismay that washed over her as Lake turned away, drawing her remaining kit, River closer to her. Ripple, Lake's mate moved in front of his son and mate blocking them from Sand's view with his silvery pelt.

Sand turned away knowing it was useless to push her sister lost as she was in the grip of her grief. There was no point talking to Ripple and Snake, they had put her in this position in the first place. That left only one cat in their group that she could possibly try to convince. Bracken, her mate.

She felt herself start to tremble as she turned towards his black and grey tabby pelt not daring to meet his eyes. She didn't know if she could bear it if she saw the others hatred mirrored in his gentle amber eyes.

"Bracken." Sand took a deep breath trying to control her shaking voice. "My mate." She looked up at him.

Flames lit in Bracken's eyes and he hissed at her, his claws unsheathed. "You are no mate of mine!"

Sand backed away, her sandy pelt on end, her green eyes wide in face of such anger and hatred. Where had all that love and gentleness gone? But more than that how could he believe Snake over his own mate?

Bracken backed off as he saw the fear in Sand's eyes and the rage died to sadness. He turned his head away, not even able to look at her. He loved her and hated her so much, it felt like his heart was being torn in two.

He swallowed and without looking at Sand who cowered in front of him murmured sadly. "Why, Sand. Why?" Sand was shaking her head, pleading with him, begging him, willing him to believe her with all her heart. "It wasn't me, Bracken. I would never-"

"I know why!" Snake's voice cut across her firmly stopping her from saying too much. "Isn't it obvious? Sand knew she could never have kits and in her jealousy murdered her sister's kits so Lake couldn't have any either."

"Is that true, Sand?" Bracken breathed, staring deeply into her green eyes, willing her to deny it.

"No, you know it's not" Sand thought desperately but her throat had gone dry from fear and she couldn't form the words to tell him.

Bracken sank his claws deep into the soil as she didn't reply and his fury returned. "All those things we talked about. Making our own group and filling it with all our kits. We were going to have loads. And all that time you knew you couldn't have kits! Was it all a joke to you? Was our love a joke? Was it all just a lie, Sand?" Bracken spat and pointedly turned his back on her.

"Bracken… Please…"Sand pleaded but the words came too late.

"Punish her!" Bracken spat and Ripple nodded in agreement. Sand didn't miss the smirk of satisfaction that spread across Snake's face. She could almost read his thoughts. With her gone Snake's secret was safe.

"As the appointed leader of our group, "Snake almost purred. "Sand, you have been found guilty and I sentence you to death-"

"NO!" Bracken snarled firmly and felt her heart lighten as he turned back towards her, cutting Snake off. Had he changed his mind? Did he believe her?

At his next words, Sand felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces as her world crashed down around her and she hunched over letting out a wail of pain and sorrow. "Death is too good for her!" Bracken snarled. "Banish her!"

"Death is the easy way out for this coward." Ripple nodded. "Make her suffer! Lake?"

Lake couldn't even meet her sister's eye but the tiny nod she gave was enough to shock Sand into silence and the betrayal was enough to prevent Sand's heart from ever being fixed. Everyone had turned against her. Her best friend, Ripple, her sister, Lake and finally and most heartbreakingly of all, her mate, Bracken. There was nothing left for her here.

Snake got to her shaking feet and barely heard Snake announcing her banished forever. "And just in case you were thinking of joining another group and telling them your story, I will announce you as a cat killer at our next hunt so that if you are seen by any cat you will be hunted down and killed." Snake purred, his eyes leering evilly at her but Sand barely registered his words as she slowly walked away from the only place she had called home. Right now, death felt like the best option for her.

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Sand left her forest home and moved into the twolegplace scavenging out of bins and hunting small rodents but her heart had gone out of living and she barely put any effort into finding the food she needed to survive. She grew thin and her sandy pelt so dirty and matted she didn't think any cat would have recognized her if she had gone back, none of them except Bracken. Oh, how she missed Bracken with such pain and sorrow that she started to just simply waste away.

It was a twist of irony that gave Sand a reason to live. After just a half-moon from leaving she discovered she was carrying Bracken's kits. She put more effort into finding food but the harsh chill of leaf-bare was starting to settle in and food was scarce. Sand had got into more than one scrap with other wild cats in this area over food and she usually won but with her growing belly she knew she wouldn't for much longer. Soon that time came when she began to lose her fights and it went downhill from there as her urgings forced her to try to find somewhere to have her kits instead of finding food. She resisted as long as she could but they soon took over.

She struggled through the deep snow searching for somewhere until she was on the point of exhaustion. With the last of her strength Sand bunched her muscles and jumped into a giant yellow box. She piled as much soft twoleg stuff in one corner as she could before she collapsed, too tired to even notice as the first of her contractions rippled through her body.

There in the cold and the filth she started to give birth. It was a hard birth, Sand lost a lot of blood and the effort to give birth nearly cost Sand her life but she managed to survive giving birth to two little tortoiseshell she kits. Worse was to come.

Sand didn't dare leave her kits to hunt with no one to look after them. She ate only a few meagre scraps that lay in the yellow box and drank only when the raindrops pooled next to her. After only half a moon, her milk dried up completely so to keep herself and her kits going she talked to them telling them all about her forest home. The joys, the struggles, the friendships. She told them of her whole life, her friendship with Ripple, the sisterly bond between her and Lake and the sadness of her parent's sudden deaths. She told them all about Snake, the evil murderer and wondered more than once if her group had found out the truth or if they ever would. But most of all she talked to them about Bracken. The way their love had blossomed, the way her heart had melted every time she saw the warmth in his eyes or the way he looked in the dawn light. How her heart had burst when she had shared her feelings and he had returned them.

On impulse she named her two kits calling one, Bracken and the other, Lily after her mother. Their names were a constant reminder of pain and also of Snake and the strong hard feeling that she knew was revenge. That feeling of getting revenge on the one who had put her here helped her to struggle through another few sunrises but eventually the loss of blood and strength from the birth and her starvation caught up with Sand. As the sky above them began to snow and with her two starving kits pressed to her belly, Sand closed her eyes for the last time.

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**And in case what Sand had to do with this, she's the mother of Lily and Bracken, one of whom River will fall in love with (but im not going to tell you who because that would spoil it :D ) And of course if you havn't noticed she saved a kit called River. If she hadn't there would be no RiverClan :O. Anyways the next few chapters are going to be about River and her daughter's. Hope you want to continue reading and PLEASE REVIEW!**


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